A book is a still unsurpassed information package, the basic design of which has survived unchanged for hundreds of years. Unlike many electronic media, books have a “display” that performs better with increasing environmental light, do not require batteries or electricity, are highly portable, are impervious to shock, and are resistant to water splashes, temperature extremes, and humidity. On the other hand, the range of information contained within a single book is inherently limited, the information content is often obsolete the moment the book is printed, the book cannot be easily indexed or searched, and the information obtained from it must be physically manipulated in some way before it can be sent to remote recipients (e.g. by copying followed by faxing or mailing or by electronic scanning and transmittal). Conversely, a desktop computer with an internal information base, including CD-ROMs, or a connection to the Internet, company intranet, or any other external information depository, provides virtually unlimited and fast information access. The desktop computer is frequently bulky, however, and is difficult to move within the office or home because of necessary power and communications connections (needing to be near a phone line or network connection, for instance). It is also uncomfortable to most users to read longer documents on the desktop's display because of insufficient contrast, flicker, low resolution and a relatively small display space, the latter in particular creating difficulty in scanning back to review passages recently read. A portable computer with wireless Internet, intranet, or database access can be used to solve the bulk and transport problems associated with a standard desktop computer while still allowing fast and convenient access to vast quantities of information, but comes with its own unique set of problems. Among these are the facts that the display of a portable computer generally works best in dim or dark conditions and is tiresome to look at for prolonged periods, its batteries are short-lasting, it suffers greatly when dropped, and its resistance to water, temperature extremes, and humidity is generally extremely limited.
Traditionally, interfaces between electronic and printed media are unidirectional, either translating electronic information to printed material, such as with a printer, or translating printed material to electronic, such as with one-dimensional or two-dimensional scanners. The few prior art systems attempting to link the two types of media have done so in a very restricted and limited way, such as the “Interactive Talking Book and Audio Player Assembly” taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,974 (DeSmet, 1989) or the bar code VCR systems developed in the late 1980's. Bar codes are a well-known mechanism in the art for inputting identification information to an automated system, and can also be used for specifying a particular action to be taken, as taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,976 (Citron et al., 1994).
In the DeSmet system, a bar code present on each page is used to trigger the system's audio player to play the recorded version of the words on that page. This triggering occurs automatically when the bar code is exposed to ambient light by the turning of the page; no user decision or selection is either required or possible. The recorded message is fixed at the time the system is made, presenting no opportunity for the information presented to be updated or altered. Functionally, the DeSmet system is therefore similar to the older “talking book” systems that required the user to perform a particular action, such as pushing a button or pulling a string, in order to hear the recorded version, with the exception that the DeSmet system uses the bar code device to trigger message playback automatically.
In the bar code VCR systems, the VCR is programmed by running a wandlike tool, such as a light pen, across a set of pre-provided printed bar codes specifying particular days of the week, times, and channels. The wand reads the information contained within the bar codes and then programs the VCR to record the specified channel on the specified day and time. The user must first look at the TV listings and identify the desired program to be recorded, select the bar code or codes that correspond to the day, time, length, and channel of the desired program from among those that are provided either with the VCR or within the TV listings, and then run the wand across the code(s) in order to program the VCR. If the user selects a wrong bar code from the set, such as by incorrectly calculating the necessary day, time, length, or channel, or by simply running the wand over the wrong bar code in the set, the desired function will not be performed; i.e. the program will not be properly recorded. As with the DeSmet system, the action performed in response to the reading of a particular bar code is fixed at the time the system is made, presenting no opportunity for the action performed to be updated or altered.
Neither of these systems provide the ability to perform a variable action or present potentially updated data in response to the reading in of a particular bar code or other mark. The DeSmet system further does not allow the user any control over the actions of the system (other than by turning the page), while the bar code VCR system does not allow the user to perform the desired action in a single mistake-proof step. What has been needed, therefore, is a new type of interface between printed and electronic media that allows convenient two-way access between electronic and printed information, combining the advantages and minimizing the disadvantages of the traditional one-way information interfaces, while providing both flexible information access and one-step convenience to the user.
One such system has been proposed by Wellner (U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,193). In the system of Wellner, marks are used on paper or other objects to control the selection of electronic services.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to facilitate “anytime, anywhere” information access by providing a seamless interface between large volumes of printed and electronic media. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a convenient access to in-depth, up-to-date information on a subject of choice, regardless of whether the information is maintained in electronic or printed form. A further particular object of this invention is to provide an interactive electronic index to printed information. Yet another particular object of this invention is to provide a way to easily and instantly electronically transfer information from a printed medium to a remote recipient.